Empire does not have many favourable options when it comes to Jussie Smollett's future on the show, but bosses are keeping even those grim options open for now.
Smollett was recently suspended from the final two episodes of the fifth season of the Fox drama when he was charged with filing a false police report. That suspension came even before he was separately indicted by a Grand Jury on felony disorderly conduct.
The actor firmly denies lying to police or staging an alleged hate crime that he says took place in January. As of now, his bosses say they're waiting to make any decisions about his job next season.
"It’s too early to think about what we would have to do if we didn’t have Jussie," showrunner Brett Mahoney told Entertainment Weekly.
"We have such a strong ensemble and we have so many stories to tell for all of these fascinating characters that it’s bigger than one character, but it’s too early to think about the show without him."
Mahoney described the last several weeks as an "emotional rollercoaster" as the cast and crew went from rallying around Smollett initially, to processing that he'd become the target of a criminal investigation.
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"I do feel like there’s been a lot of rumours and people spreading things and different information that is out there, and much of that I don’t really see in my day-to-day," he said.
"I think the cast and crew is really just focused on working and everyone feels good about the work we’re doing, and we’re hoping that we can be judged on that work.
"Everyone is really focused on getting these episodes done, despite everything that is going on around us. Also, I don’t really see it as something that is dividing people, more like bringing people together, bringing the cast and crew together in terms of let’s get this done."
Empire returns to Fox in the US tonight (Wednesday, March 13).
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Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.
